In college, I took several “lit” classes.
Modern Literature. European Literature. The Literary Classics. The Short Story. Even, Sociology through Literature. But I never figured out when a story made the transition from “a fun read” or “a good read” to “literature.”
There just seemed to be an understanding that Hemingway and Faulkner were literature and Shulman (“The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, et al.) and Bombeck (“The Grass Is Always Greener over the Septic Tank, et al.) were not. Frankly, I enjoyed all four authors, but for different reasons. So, I never pressed the point with any of my professors.